ILLINOIS
Chicago Tribune
By Manya A. Brachear
Tribune staff reporter
Published December 10, 2004
Belleville Bishop Wilton D. Gregory, the former Chicago churchman who shepherded the nation's Roman Catholic bishops through the tumult of the sex-abuse crisis, will become the next archbishop of Atlanta, church officials said Thursday.
Pope John Paul II tapped Gregory, 57, to succeed Archbishop John G. Donoghue, 76, who is retiring.
"I hope to follow his strong lead and example and learn to be a better listener to all of God's people before I chart out priorities," said Gregory.
Gregory will be installed as archbishop on Jan. 17, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The promotion makes Gregory only the second prelate to move to a larger diocese after serving a term as president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Gregory's mentor, the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago, was the first.